Anakin stalked through the dark hallways. He had been sure to inform the leader storm trooper that he was now in charge, so hundreds of them lined the walls, bowing as he passed. He arrived at his old chambers, which he immediately opened. It looked exactly the same: everything was black or silver. His bed was made of black material, as were his curtains and towels. The carpet was made of black fur, and the floor tiles were a shiny black as well. It was as gloomy as he remembered. Locking the door, and checking to make sure that cameras hadnt been installed(which they hadn't), he sighed and sat down on the bed. Removing his helmet, he withdrew a small handheld device from his pocket. He pressed the button and a tiny hologram of Padme appeared.

"I love you, Ani. Whatever happens, don't forget how much I love you." She smiled, and then it flickered off, leaving Anakin alone in the darkness of his room.

Darth Maul paced back and forth in his spacious chambers, fuming in barely controlled rage. To think that Vader had ripped the Empire right from his hands! It was infuriating! How dare he!

He picked up a bowl and flung it across the room, where it shattered against the all. It was followed by two more bowls, and a few cups, until the floor in front of the wall was covered in shattered glass and ceramic. "How dare he!" he exclaimed angrily, throwing another dish, this time at a small side table. It fell over, and the lamp on top of it shattered. It felt good to destroy something.

He clenched his fists and howled. All that power, gone in one second! Why couldn't Vader have stayed dead?!

Stumbling backwards, he gripped the counter, breathing heavily. "Somehow," he vowed, glaring at the wall. "Somehow, I will reclaim the Empire. I will reclaim my throne, and prove that I am the most powerful being in the galaxy!"

*The next morning*

Anakin strode through the door main command center in his Vader armor. "Have we located the Rebel location at this moment?" he demanded.

Admiral Piett bowed. "Well, sir, we last attacked them on Endor, where they were celebrating the supposed fall of the Empire." He coughed nervously. "We managed to wipe out a vast majority of their troops in a surprise attack, but unfortunately the rest escaped. W-We, ahem, do not know their location at the moment."

Anakin was pleased with this information, but he did his best to act otherwise. He exploded. "What?! You're saying that you still haven't located the Rebels?"

Admiral Piett shrunk backwards, knowing what Lord Vader's anger usually ended with. A Force-choke. "W-Well, sir..."

Anakin huffed in anger. "Darth Maul is even more useless than I thought. Perhaps I should just kill him, instead of keeping him alive for future use. I don't know why he even became a Sith in the first place. Where is he located at the moment?"

"He is locked in his chambers on this floor, not far away."

Anakin turned sharply on his heel and strode away, his cloak billowing behind him, while the officials around him shrank back in fear of his anger.

Once Anakin was out of sight, he stopped, debating on what to do. It would be just like a Sith Lord to keep secrets that no one else knew but himself. What if Maul knew something, or was plotting something that Admiral Piett wasn't aware of? Deciding to go see Darth Maul, Anakin continued down the hallway, deep in though. He needed Maul alive to do his bidding. But he needed him to be kept under control. A Sith Lord was not easily intimidated, but Anakin was sure that he could scare Maul enough that he would follow his every command. The question, however, was whether he would plan to overthrow him or not. The answer to that question was almost certainly yes. Sith Lords strove for power- that was what they lived for. To achieve this, they killed their masters to gain it. Anakin knew that he would have to watch out and be very careful about how he proceeded.

Padme sighed sadly. She was sitting on the bed, gazing out over the city of Coruscant through the wide bedroom window. A light breeze floated through it, bringing the sweet smell of flowers into the room. Clouds were scattered across the blue sky, and birds swooped to and fro, going about their morning duties. The sun just barely peeked over the horizon. The air was cold, just like Padme. She pulled her robe even more tightly over herself, shivering.

It had been terrible, waking up without Anakin by her side. It reminded her of those mornings, when she had waken up alone, all those horrible twenty-three years when Anakin had been Darth Vader, killing hundreds, thousands of innocent people. She remembered wondering if her Ani would ever turn back, away from the Dark Side. She stood, and walked onto her balcony, staring at the sun. It warmed her to the bone. Just like Anakin. His very presense soothed her, brought her peace. Now he was gone again. She leaned against the railing, looking around at the familiar city of Coruscant.

"Oh, Anakin," she said softly, fingering the japor snippet he had given her, so long ago. "Please come home to me, soon. I love you. So much."

A hooded man in a dark cloak watched the 500 Republica apartment complex hungrily from his spot in the bushes. He was staring through an open window, near the top of the towering building, where the rooms were the most expensive. The curtains were open, revealing an immense bedroom, which was connected to the balcony. The sheets of the bed was in many different shades of blue- sky blue, turquoise, pastel blue, periwinkle, and azure. The walls were a cream color, as well as most of the furniture. He couldn't wait for the time when he would be able to occupy this bedroom with his love.

Padme was sitting on the bed, staring out at the city. She was dressed in a thin blue nightgown and a white robe that showed off all of her curves. Her long curls cascaded down her back, and her cheeks were flushed. The man licked his lips, enraptured by her slender and beautiful form. A door was open inside of the bedroom, leading to another room, and looking closer, the man could see that it was filled with dresses. They were in all the colors of the rainbow, some long and slender, and some with huge petticoats. Outfits of all kinds lined the closet. As the man ravished the thought of his gorgeous senator dressed in each and every outfit, he suddenly caught sight of something that made him stop abruptly. Lined up neatly beside the senator's outfits and dresses... were Jedi robes. There were quite a few of them; some were casual, some were more dressy for special occasions. The fact of the matter was that they were there. He narrowed his eyes into slits. The Jedi would pay for stealing his senator, make no mistake about that.

Lost in his angry thoughts of revenge, the man almost didn't see the senator herself open the big french doors and step onto the balcony. He quickly ducked to make sure that he wouldn't be seen. He watched her gaze out at the sunrise, her face alight with the sun's rays. He saw her whisper something tenderly, while fingering a small object beneath her robe. Zooming in on his binoculars, he caught sight of the object. It was a smoothly carved snippet of japor on a string. She had hidden it beneath her robe, close to her heart. He suddenly realized what it was. It was the gift from the Jedi! He gritted his teeth and tightened his jaw until it hurt, taking a deep breath. Long after she had retreated back into her bedroom, he was still there, staring at the same spot that she had been standing. "You are mine, Padme. You will pay for thinking about that damned Jedi! I don't care how it's done, as long as it's painful; your precious Jedi will die!"

The door slid open with a hiss, and Anakin marched inside the room. Darth Maul was standing facing the wall, away from him. Shattered glass and ceramic covered the floor, and many things in the room were broken. Everything was in disarray.

"What do you need, My Master?" sneered Darth Maul mockingly, turning towards him. His eyes were glowing a sickly yellow.

"Have you located the Rebels yet, my apprentice? Admiral Piett seemed to think that you were inefficient enough not to have located them yet."

Darth Maul growled, and looked like he wanted to throw some more things. "Not yet, My Master."

Anakin scoffed. "Very well. Perhaps you will prove more useful and more efficient of a leader in the future. Now, Darth Maul, have you sent any assassins already, or any spies? Have you even done anything? I need to know before anymore are sent out. Let me remind you that I can tell if you are lying. I am much more powerful in the Force than you." He smirked at his reaction.

"In fact, My Master, I have. I have sent a skilled assassin to kill the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker. All he wants in return is Senator Padme Amidala."

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